Gorizia and Carso isontino

The Scene of the Great Isonzo Battles

Easy | 4.5 hrs

Monte San Michele/Debela griža ‒ Following the Footsteps of a Soldier Giuseppe Ungaretti

Discover one of the most visited places of the Isonzo Front, which is also mentioned in the moving poems of the Italian poet Giuseppe Ungaretti!

We start at the little village of San Martino del Carso/Martinščina in the heart of serene karstic nature, which suddenly became the centre of a battlefield in 1915. Numerous shelling attacks ravaged it completely. The village became famous, especially in Italy, thanks to the poem San Martino del Carso by the poet Giuseppe Ungaretti.
We continue with a visit of the outdoor museum Monte San Michele/Debela griža which provides an interesting combination of history and natural features. Along the path that runs through the outdoor museum visitors can see structures and monuments that were built among the four summits of this karstic elevation during World War I. Following the signposts, a visitor can see all the most important Italian and Austro-Hungarian remains in this area. Within the scope of the outdoor museum there is also a Multimedia Museum of Mount San Michele. The museum was completely renovated in 2018. Through its interactive multimedia content and tools it offers a unique experience that not only gives information but also arouses emotions in the visitor.

Optional visit:

Located at Castelnuovo is a park dedicated to Ungaretti (Parco Ungaretti). It was renovated after the plans of architect Paolo Bornello who tried to point up an interpretation of Ungaretti in relation to the karst landscape and World War I. Ungaretti also fought in this area of the Kras, in the surroundings of San Martino del Carso, where he found inspiration for his first collection of poems, Il porto sepolto (The Buried Haven). His debut book, published in 1916, contains 29 poems, of which the most popular seem to be Fratelli (Brothers) and San Martino del Carso. Ungaretti was the leading representative of Hermetism in Italy and an important personality on the 20^th century Italian literary and historical scene.

Photos: (1) PromoTurismoFVG; (2) Schirra/Giraldi, PromoTurismoFVG; (3) Matevž Lenarčič, Fundacija Poti miru; (4) Paolo da Pozzo, PromoTurismoFVG; (5) Simon Kovačič, Fundacija Poti miru; (6) IKON, PromoTurismoFVG; (7) Marco Mantini